Demountable horse corral and trailer structure

ABSTRACT

A series of fence panels carried by a vehicle for transporting animals may be assembled to a vehicle wall and linked with one another to constitute a corral enclosure. To minimize problems in connection with storage and assembling the fence panels, some fence panels are pivotally secured directly to the vehicle for movement between retracted positions against the vehicle wall and selected extended positions.

llniteol States atet 1191 Bernhardt et a]. 45 A r, 10, 1973 [54]DEMOUNTABLE HORSE CORRAL AND 795,503 7 1905 Garethun ..119 20 TRAILERSTRUCTURE 2,678,629 5/1954 Meyer ..nl 19/20 2,935,965 5/1960 Sm'th ..11982 [75] Inventors: Blaise Bernhardt, Woodland H1lls; I I

' Donald House, Sun Valley, both of FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Cahf231,793 l/l96l Australia ..119 20 [731 Assignee: said Bernhardt, by saidHouse Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor [22] Flled' July 1971Attorney-Pastoriza & Kelly [21] Appl. No.: 161,740

[57] ABSTRACT 52 US. Cl. ..119/20, 256/25, 280/30 A Series of fencePanels Carried y a vehicle for trans- 151 1111. C1. ..AOIk 1/02 Portinganimals may be assembled to a vehicle Wall [58] Field of Search ..256/2425 26- and linked with one Other msfiwte corral 119/20 99 6 6 closure.To minimize problems in connection with storage and assembling the fencepanels, some fence 56] References Cited panels are pivotally secureddirectly to the vehicle for movement between retracted positions againstthe U IT D T T PATENTS vehicle wall and selected extended positions.

256,661 4/1882 Tarragon... ..1 19/20 7 Claims, 3 Drawing FiguresDEMOUNTABLE HORSE CORRAL AND TRAILER STRUCTURE BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to portable enclosures and morespecifically to an animal corral carried on an animal transportationvehicle which can be dismantled and reassembled as the animals are movedfrom place to place.

When an animal such as a race horse is being transported on a longjourney it becomes necessary periodically to permit the animal to runaround and exercise. In order to prevent the animal from running away itis common for a trailer used in transporting the animal to be equippedwith pen or fence sections that can be assembled as a corral to confinethe animal.

Conventional fence assemblies are generally time consuming and tediousto erect and require considerable handling. Furthermore, the numerousfence sections are usually required and each section is generally ofshallow or intermediate height so that a tall or especially exuberantanimal is able to leap over the corral and escape.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Briefly stated this invention is a simple,economical and versatile corral that can be conveniently transportedfrom place to place with an animal trailer and swiftly erected andcombined with the trailer to form an enclosure for confining animals.

In its broadest aspectsthe invention includes a vehicle which may be atrailer or self propelled vehicle for transporting animals, having aroof, a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of sidewalls and at least onedoor through which animals may enter or egress from the vehicleinterior. A plurality of fence panels carried by the vehicle in adisassembled condition may be erected and arranged with at least twofence panels coupled directly to the vehicle. The remaining fence panelscan be detachably coupled to one another as well as to the two fencepanels coupled directly to the vehicle. An enclosure for confining theanimals is constituted by the coaction between the panels and at leastone wall of the vehicle.

Preferably the two fence panels coupled to the vehicle are pivotallycoupled adjacent end portions of one vehicle wall. The vehicle wall maybe a sidewall that mounts a holding means at an intermediate locationfor holding down. the two fence panels when they are pivoted inwardlytowards one another and held relatively flat against the vehiclesidewall.

Four fence panels may be pivotally coupled adjacent the four corners ofthe vehicle to assist in allowing a wide variety of corralconfigurations to be erected.

A rack is mounted on the vehicle roof so that when the fence panels,other than those pivotally secured to the vehicle, are uncoupled fromone another they may be stacked upon one another and held stably andsecurely by the rack.

Each fence panel includes a pair of spaced and parallel tubular columnsrigidly fixed to a plurality of intermediate cross pieces. The bottomportions of the columns are formed with a series of height adjustmentopenings and support stakes extending through the column bottom portionsare also formed with a set of height adjustment openings. Whencorresponding height adjustment openings of the columns and supportstakes are brought into registering alignment then connector pins areinserted to maintain the desired structural relationship.

The corral configuration can be quickly assembled for use in onelocation, disassembled for movement with the animals from place to placeand then reassembled for use in a different selected location.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The numerous benefits and uniqueaspects of the present invention will be fully understood when thefollowing detailed description is studied in conjunction with thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an animal enclosure constituted bya wall of the trailer and a corral having a plurality of fence panels;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing how a corral enclosure of differentconfiguration can be erected by using a different trailer wall and aseries of fence panels; and,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of a typical corral enclosure cornerconstituted by a pair of adjacent fence panels.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now to FIG.1 a first embodiment of a demountable horse corral and trailer structure10 is shown. A horse trailer 11 of conventional configuration has afront wall 12, a rear wall 13, one sidewall 14 opposing sidewall 15, anda roof 16 to shelter one or more animals contained by trailer 11. Afender 17 mounted to sidewall 14 partially covers a pair of tandemwheels 18.

A pair of doors 19 and 20 are hinged to vertically extending mountingstrips 21 and 22. Mounting strips 21 and 22 are joined to the rearwardportions of trailer sidewalls 14 and 15 to constitute two of the fourvertical trailer corners.

Rather than being a trailer 10 or van hitchable to a drawvehicle such asan automobile or truck, the vehicle for transporting the horses or otheranimals may be a self-propelled unitary structure.

Fixed to and rising upwardly from the four corner sections of roof 16are four retaining studs, 23, 24, 25 and 26 that together constitute arack on which a plurality of disassembled fence panels may be stacked asshall be explained. A holding means 27 shown in the form of an eyeboltis positioned in the center of sidewall 14 for assisting in holdingcertain fence panels immobile and flush against wall 14 as shall beexplained. The holding means could alternatively be a spring clip, lock,brace or any other structure for independently or in association withother devices holding down fence panels. An alarm system 28 suitablycoupled to trailer 11 is electrically wired to a plurality of assembledcorral fence panels and operates to impart a signal upon break out by ahorse from the corral enclosure.

A corral 29 has a series of detachable fence panels A, B, C, D, and Ewhich when combined with trailer wall panel 14 constitute a corralenclosure for confining the horses; An upper tier fence panel F showntemporarily stored or held by the roof mounted rack will be furtherdescribed in connection with FIG. 2.

Tubular columns 30, 31 and 32 all associated with individual fencepanels are pivotally coupled to the three trailer corners shown. Thecorner which is concealed also mounts a tubular column. Two collars orbraces 33 secured to sidewall and mounting strip 22 operate to pivotallymount column 30. In a similar manner collars or braces 34 and 35pivotally mount corresponding tubular columns 31 and 32. The fourpivotally mounted columns are structurally oriented with respect totheir associated trailer corners so that the fence panels of which theyare a component may be swung through arcs of approximately 270. As shallbe explained this wide range swinging action permits a horse trainer orother attendant to erect corral enclosure structures of broadly varyingsizes and configurations to accommodate the horses. Columns 31 and 32may be selectively pivoted to swing fence panels A and E inwardlytowards one another and against sidewall 14 where they may be lashed orotherwise secured to holding means 27.

Inasmuch as fence panel C is generally constructed like the other fencepanels a description of it will suffice for an understanding of how allthe fence panels incorporated in the corral 29 of FIG. 1 are structured.A pair of spaced and parallel tubular columns 36 and 37 are held intheir respective positions by a plurality of intermediate rigid crosspieces or bars 38. As shall be more fully explained in connection withFIG. 3 the bottom sections of columns 36 and 37 are sized to admitsupport stakes 39 and 40 used for height adjustment purposes and toanchor and stabilize the fence panels. The individual fence panels aredetachably coupled with one another at their abutting ends.

FIG. 2 shows a different corral enclosure configuration constituted bysome of the fence panels employed in the FIG. 1 corral enclosureconfiguration. Fence panel E is shown swung inwardly against sidewall 14with a cord 42 drawn through the eyebolt of holding means 27 and aroundone of the cross bars in order to hold fence panel E against undesiredmovements. In order to provide sufficient clearance over fender 17, insituations where it is desired to use a fender, fence panel E may besufficiently hoisted by a distanceequal to the spacing between adjacentcross bars before fence panel E is pivoted to its position of FIG. 2.During travel periods fence panel A would likewise be swung inwardlyandheld substantially flat against sidewall 14 with inner end portions ofpanels A and E oriented in overlapping relationship. The fence panelsmay be of equal or different lengths.

For purposes of clarity only a single upper tier fence panel F has beenshown on the rack in FIG. 1 and in its operation position in FIG. 2. Insome situations it would be desirable to erect a taller corral enclosurewall where, for example,the animals are especially tall or able to jumpthrough great heights. Fence panel F has a pair of tubular columns 44and 45 aligned coaxially with the tubular columns and 43 of a fencepanel G that has been swung through a 180 arc from its position inFIG. 1. The bottom portions of columns 44 and 45 are configured withenlarged sockets 46 and 47 that telescopically fit over the top sectionsof columns 30 and 43. Fence panel F can be easily assembled on andremoved from fence panel G.

Referring now to FIG. 3 a typical corner joint is shown as constitutedby fence panels B and G by way of example. Fence panel F and anotheradjacent upper tier fence panel H are shown positioned on top of panelsG and B respectively.

The lower portion of column 43 is formed with a series of verticallyspaced height adjustment openings 48. A support stake 49 also has aseries of height adjustment openings 50. To maintain column 43 at adesired height above the ground the corresponding sets of heightadjustment openings 48 and 50 are brought into registration and then aconnector pin 10 is inserted through them. In a similar manner fencepanel B is equipped with a support stake 53, connector pin 54 and setsof height adjustment openings.

While the lower tier fence panels B and G may be detachably coupled byany suitable type of integral or external fasteners, they are shown forpurposes of illustration connected by an upper nut and bolt assembly 56and a lower nut and bolt assembly 57.

OPERATION Keeping the above construction in mind it can be understoodhow previously described disadvantages of conventional horse trailersand independent fences are overcome or substantially eliminated by thepresent invention.

During traveling times when the trailer 10 or other vehicle is beingused for transporting one or more horses or other animals, the fourpivotable fence panels at the trailer corners would be arranged inflattened positions against the trailer sidewalls and the other fencepanels including upper tier fence panels, if any, would be stacked onone another and secured to the rack on roof 16.

If during transit it became desirable to stop for the evening or topermit the horses to romp about and exercise the panels would beunstacked from the roof rack and coupled to selected pivoted fencepanels to erect a corral enclosure of desired shape. Under allcircumstances one or more walls of trailer 10 would constitute a segmentof the corral enclosure. Not only does this combination eliminate theneed for extra fence panels but in addition it facilitates assemblingthe corral enclosure because two or more of the pivoted fence panels maybe quickly swung to assume desired orientations.

The support stakes would be adjusted or regulated to accommodate desiredheight needs and also to handle any irregular terrain situations.

If the animals being transported are tall or can leap over average sizewalls then the animal trainer or attendant would probably elect toposition a series of upper tier fence panels such as panels F and Hshown in FIG. 3 on associated lower fence panels.

If an animal breaks through a cross bar then this force will interruptor complete an electrical circuit causing a signal to be imparted byalarm system 28.

In circumstances where there may be a threat of inclement weather thecorral configuration shown in FIG. 2 would be preferred so that theanimals could simply seek shelter in trailer 11, assuming that the doorsl9 and 20 were left open, when it began raining or becoming too cold.

It can now be appreciated that the demountable horse corral and trailerstructure of this invention may be advantageously used to transporthorses conveniently from place to place. The corral enclosure can bequickly assembled for use in one location, disassembled for movement toanother location and there reassembled in either the same or a differentselected corral enclosure configuration.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the present invention hasprovided a demountable horse corral and trailer structure in which allof the various advantages are fully realized.

What is claimed is:

1. A demountable animal corral enclosure system comprising:

a. a vehicle for transporting animals having a roof, a front wall, arear wall, a pair of side walls and at least one door through whichanimals may enter or egress from the vehicle interior;

b. a plurality of fence panels arranged with at least two fence panelsdirectly coupled to the vehicle and the remaining fence panelsdetachably coupled to said two fence panels and with one another; and,

c. said two fence panels directly coupled to the vehicle are pivotallycoupled to the rear wall on opposite sides of the door so that if thedoor is open the animals can move directly from the vehicle interiorinto the corral enclosure, wherein the fence panels and vehicle arealigned and combined to constitute a corral enclosure for confininganimals.

2. The structure according to claim 1, wherein:

said fence panels directly coupled to the vehicle are pivotally coupledadjacent opposing end portions of a first vehicle sidewall.

3. The structure according to claim 2, including:

pivot means, and;

holding means carried by the first vehicle sidewall at an intermediatelocation to hold down said two fence panels when they are pivotedinwardly towards one another and swung generally flat against the firstsidewall.

4. The structure according to claim 1, including:

fence panels pivotally connected adjacent all four corners of thevehicle so that the configuration and location of the corral enclosuremay be changed to accommodate varying needs; and,

a rack mounted on the roof for retaining disassembled fence panels instacked relationship.

5. The structure according to claim 1, wherein each fence panelincludes:

in enlar ed sockets shaped to fit telescopically over the op sections ofsaid fence panel In order to constitute a tall corral enclosure portion.7. A demountable corral enclosure system comprising:

a. a trailer for transporting horses having a roof, a

front wall, a rear wall, a pair of sidewalls, four corners and at leastone door through which horses may enter or egress from the trailerinterior;

b. a plurality of fence panels wherein four fence panels are pivotallyconnected to the trailer adjacent the four corners and the other fencepanels are detachably coupled to one another and to at least two of thefour pivoted fence panels, wherein each fence panel includes;

b l. a pair of spaced parallel tubular columns with first adjustmentopenings extending through their bottom sections,

b 2. plural cross pieces extending through and secured to the tubularcolumns,

b 3. support stakes with second height adjustment openings fitting intocorresponding column bottom sections; and,

b 4. pins extending through selected sets of first and second heightadjustment openings to maintain the columns at selected heights.

0. holding means carried by at least one of the trailer sidewalls at anintermediate location to assist in holding down two pivoted fence panelswhen they are pivoted inwardly towards one another from opposing cornersand laid relatively flat against the trailer sidewall;

d. a rack mounted on the vehicle roof for retaining disassembled fencepanels in stacked relationship.

1. A demountable animal corral enclosure system comprising: a. a vehiclefor transporting animals having a roof, a front wall, a rear wall, apair of side walls and at least one door through which animals may enteror egress from the vehicle interior; b. a plurality of fence panelsarranged with at least two fence panels directly coupled to the vehicleand the remaining fence panels detachably coupled to said two fencepanels and with one another; and, c. said two fence panels directlycoupled to the vehicle are pivotally coupled to the rear wall onopposite sides of the door so that if the door is open the animals canmove directly from the vehicle interior into the corral enclosure,wherein the fence panels and vehicle are aligned and combined toconstitute a corral enclosure for confining animals.
 2. The structureaccording to claim 1, wherein: said fence panels directly coupled to thevehicle are pivotally coupled adjacent opposing end portions of a firstvehicle sidewall.
 3. The structure according to claim 2, including:pivot means, and; holding means carried by the first vehicle sidewall atan intermediate location to hold down said two fence panels when theyare pivoted inwardly towards one another and swung generally flatagainst the first sidewall.
 4. The structure according to claim 1,including: fence panels pivotally connected adjacent all four corners ofthe vehicle so that the configuration and location of the corralenclosure may be changed to accommodate varying needs; and, a rackmounted on the roof for retaining disassembled fence panels in stackedrelationship.
 5. The structure according tO claim 1, wherein each fencepanel includes: a pair of spaced parallel tubular columns with firstheight adjustment openings extending through their bottom sections;plural cross pieces extending between and secured to the tubularcolumns; support stakes with second height adjustment openings fittinginto corresponding tubular column bottom sections; and, pins extendingthrough selected sets of first and second height adjustment openings tomaintain the columns at selected heights.
 6. The structure according toclaim 5, including: an upper tier fence panel having a pair of spacedparallel columns terminating at their bottom ends in enlarged socketsshaped to fit telescopically over the top sections of said fence panelin order to constitute a tall corral enclosure portion.
 7. A demountablecorral enclosure system comprising: a. a trailer for transporting horseshaving a roof, a front wall, a rear wall, a pair of sidewalls, fourcorners and at least one door through which horses may enter or egressfrom the trailer interior; b. a plurality of fence panels wherein fourfence panels are pivotally connected to the trailer adjacent the fourcorners and the other fence panels are detachably coupled to one anotherand to at least two of the four pivoted fence panels, wherein each fencepanel includes; b
 1. a pair of spaced parallel tubular columns withfirst adjustment openings extending through their bottom sections, b 2.plural cross pieces extending through and secured to the tubularcolumns, b
 3. support stakes with second height adjustment openingsfitting into corresponding column bottom sections; and, b
 4. pinsextending through selected sets of first and second height adjustmentopenings to maintain the columns at selected heights. c. holding meanscarried by at least one of the trailer sidewalls at an intermediatelocation to assist in holding down two pivoted fence panels when theyare pivoted inwardly towards one another from opposing corners and laidrelatively flat against the trailer sidewall; d. a rack mounted on thevehicle roof for retaining disassembled fence panels in stackedrelationship.